The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (325 page)
Read The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists Online
Authors: Ian Chilvers
Moroni , Giovanni Battista
(
c.
1520/5–1578).
Italian painter, son of an architect, Andrea Moroni . He trained under
Moretto
in Brescia and worked mainly in his home town of Albino and in nearby Bergamo. His style was based closely on that of his master, but whereas his religious and allegorical paintings are generally heavy-handed, his portraits are worthy successors to Moretto's. They are remarkable for their psychological penetration, dignified air, and exquisite silvery tonality. The National Gallery, London, has the best collection of his work, including the celebrated portrait known as
‘The Tailor’
.
c.
1520/5–1578).
Italian painter, son of an architect, Andrea Moroni . He trained under
Moretto
in Brescia and worked mainly in his home town of Albino and in nearby Bergamo. His style was based closely on that of his master, but whereas his religious and allegorical paintings are generally heavy-handed, his portraits are worthy successors to Moretto's. They are remarkable for their psychological penetration, dignified air, and exquisite silvery tonality. The National Gallery, London, has the best collection of his work, including the celebrated portrait known as
‘The Tailor’
.
Morozov , Ivan
.
.
Morrice , James Wilson
(1865–1924).
Canadian landscape and figure painter, active mainly in Paris, where he settled in 1890 and became friendly with many leading artists. His first inspiration came from
Whistler
, but later his style became gently
Fauvist
. He was widely travelled and made several return visits to Canada, playing an important role in introducing modern trends to his country.
Canadian landscape and figure painter, active mainly in Paris, where he settled in 1890 and became friendly with many leading artists. His first inspiration came from
Whistler
, but later his style became gently
Fauvist
. He was widely travelled and made several return visits to Canada, playing an important role in introducing modern trends to his country.
Morris , Robert
(1931– ).
American artist and writer. He is regarded as one of the most prominent exponents and theorists of
Minimal art
, and has also experimented in other fields, including
Conceptual art
,
Land art
, and
Performance art
. His most characteristic sculptures consist of large-scale, hard-edged geometric forms, but he has also made ‘anti-form’ pieces in soft, hanging materials.
American artist and writer. He is regarded as one of the most prominent exponents and theorists of
Minimal art
, and has also experimented in other fields, including
Conceptual art
,
Land art
, and
Performance art
. His most characteristic sculptures consist of large-scale, hard-edged geometric forms, but he has also made ‘anti-form’ pieces in soft, hanging materials.
Morris , William
(1834–96).
English writer, painter, designer, craftsman, and social reformer. As a student at Oxford University he formed a lifelong friendship with
Burne-Jones
and began to write poetry and to study medieval architecture. In 1856 he was apprenticed to the architect G. E. Street , but soon left to paint under
Rossetti's
guidance—his only completed oil painting,
Queen Guenevere
(Tate, London, 1858), is strongly
Pre-Raphaelite
. In 1859, Morris married Jane Burden , who appears in numerous paintings by Rossetti as the archetypal
femme fatale
; Morris's architect friend Philip Webb built the famous Red House, Bexley Heath, for the couple. With Webb , Rossetti , Burne-Jones , Ford Madox
Brown
, P. P. Marshall (a surveyor), and Charles Faulkner (an accountant), Morris founded the manufacturing and decorating firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. in 1861. After a shaky start, the firm prospered, producing furniture, tapestry, stained glass, furnishing fabrics, carpets, and much more. Morris's wallpaper designs are particularly well known (they are still produced commercially today) and Burne-Jones did some superb work for the firm, particularly in stained glass and tapestry design. Morris repudiated the concept of
fine art
and his company was based on the ideal of a medieval guild, in which the craftsman both designed and executed the work. He defined art as ‘man's expression of his joy in labour’, and saw it as an essential part of human well-being. As a socialist he wished to produce art for the masses, but there was an inherent flaw in his ambition, for only the rich could afford his expensive hand-made products. His ideal of universal craftsmanship and his glorification of manual skill thus proved unrealistic in so far as it ran counter to or failed to come to terms with modern machine production. But his work bore lasting fruit, in England (see
ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT
) and abroad, in the emphasis which it laid upon the social importance of good design and fine workmanship in every walk of life. He also had an important part in the development of the private printing-press, through the founding of the
Kelmscott Press
. Morris's homes at Walthamstow in London and Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire contain good examples of work designed by him and his associates.
English writer, painter, designer, craftsman, and social reformer. As a student at Oxford University he formed a lifelong friendship with
Burne-Jones
and began to write poetry and to study medieval architecture. In 1856 he was apprenticed to the architect G. E. Street , but soon left to paint under
Rossetti's
guidance—his only completed oil painting,
Queen Guenevere
(Tate, London, 1858), is strongly
Pre-Raphaelite
. In 1859, Morris married Jane Burden , who appears in numerous paintings by Rossetti as the archetypal
femme fatale
; Morris's architect friend Philip Webb built the famous Red House, Bexley Heath, for the couple. With Webb , Rossetti , Burne-Jones , Ford Madox
Brown
, P. P. Marshall (a surveyor), and Charles Faulkner (an accountant), Morris founded the manufacturing and decorating firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. in 1861. After a shaky start, the firm prospered, producing furniture, tapestry, stained glass, furnishing fabrics, carpets, and much more. Morris's wallpaper designs are particularly well known (they are still produced commercially today) and Burne-Jones did some superb work for the firm, particularly in stained glass and tapestry design. Morris repudiated the concept of
fine art
and his company was based on the ideal of a medieval guild, in which the craftsman both designed and executed the work. He defined art as ‘man's expression of his joy in labour’, and saw it as an essential part of human well-being. As a socialist he wished to produce art for the masses, but there was an inherent flaw in his ambition, for only the rich could afford his expensive hand-made products. His ideal of universal craftsmanship and his glorification of manual skill thus proved unrealistic in so far as it ran counter to or failed to come to terms with modern machine production. But his work bore lasting fruit, in England (see
ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT
) and abroad, in the emphasis which it laid upon the social importance of good design and fine workmanship in every walk of life. He also had an important part in the development of the private printing-press, through the founding of the
Kelmscott Press
. Morris's homes at Walthamstow in London and Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire contain good examples of work designed by him and his associates.
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